EB White
E.B. White
(1899-1985)
Background:
Elwyn Brooks White was born in Mount Vernon, New York on July 11, 1899. His father was a piano manufacturer and he had two brothers and three sisters.
1921-1923 – Graduated from Cornell University and worked for the United Press International and American Legion News Service. E.B. White was a reporter for the Seattle Times but then moved on to work as a production assistant and copywriter for an advertising agency called Frank Seaman.
White published more than seventeen books of prose and poetry and was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1973.
Not only did he write children’s books such as Charlotte’s Web and the Stuart Little series, but he also wrote books for adults. White also wrote poems and essays, and he drew sketches for The New Yorker magazine.
He found writing difficult and thought it was bad for one’s disposition.
He won countless awards for his contributions to literature and children such as the 1971 National Medal for Literature and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal.
He died on October 1, 1985 from Alzheimer’s disease at age 86.
During his lifetime, White was asked if his stories were true. In a letter written to be sent to his fans, he answered, “No, they are imaginary tales… But real life is only one kind of life — there is also the life of the imagination.”
White lived on a farm in Maine with a lot of animals that eventually made their way into some of his books. He spent a lot of time on the farm and it was one of the places that he liked to be at at all times.
Literary Contributions: White was one of the nation’s most precious literary sources. He revised and edited The Elements of Style, a book by William S. Strunk that is used in college and high school English courses. His pieces in The New Yorker helped set the tone of sophisticated wit, irreverence, and necessary condor since the magazine started in the 1920’s. He also contributed in the “Talk of the Town” column of The
(1899-1985)
Background:
Elwyn Brooks White was born in Mount Vernon, New York on July 11, 1899. His father was a piano manufacturer and he had two brothers and three sisters.
1921-1923 – Graduated from Cornell University and worked for the United Press International and American Legion News Service. E.B. White was a reporter for the Seattle Times but then moved on to work as a production assistant and copywriter for an advertising agency called Frank Seaman.
White published more than seventeen books of prose and poetry and was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1973.
Not only did he write children’s books such as Charlotte’s Web and the Stuart Little series, but he also wrote books for adults. White also wrote poems and essays, and he drew sketches for The New Yorker magazine.
He found writing difficult and thought it was bad for one’s disposition.
He won countless awards for his contributions to literature and children such as the 1971 National Medal for Literature and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal.
He died on October 1, 1985 from Alzheimer’s disease at age 86.
During his lifetime, White was asked if his stories were true. In a letter written to be sent to his fans, he answered, “No, they are imaginary tales… But real life is only one kind of life — there is also the life of the imagination.”
White lived on a farm in Maine with a lot of animals that eventually made their way into some of his books. He spent a lot of time on the farm and it was one of the places that he liked to be at at all times.
Literary Contributions: White was one of the nation’s most precious literary sources. He revised and edited The Elements of Style, a book by William S. Strunk that is used in college and high school English courses. His pieces in The New Yorker helped set the tone of sophisticated wit, irreverence, and necessary condor since the magazine started in the 1920’s. He also contributed in the “Talk of the Town” column of The